Luke and Kami were married at the beautiful Johnson Gardens, a private estate in Highland, IL, a few weeks ago, and I was so blessed to be there with them to tell the story of their day!A few of my very favorites (and there were so many favorites to pick from!) are below!!!
"Just wait until you see it...it's beautiful!"...those were Kami's words in describing their great find. Their beautiful wedding venue. She and Luke together knew what they wanted: something different, something outside, and something that had an intimate feeling. And they found it, their gorgeous outdoor wedding was held at the private Johnson Gardens estate. Nestled back amongst a grove of trees, the large brick colonial home is surrounded by acres of professionally landscaped land. They host just a handful of weddings a year, and Luke and Kami were so blessed to be one of them!
We started at the house where Kami's sisters helped her get dressed. We then took a few minutes to take pictures with her sister and all of her wonderful friends that were in her bridal party.
Kami and her friends are pretty special to me. I was lucky enough to be the photographer at both Jacklyn's and Tiffany's weddings last summer (second and third from left)! I also was THRILLED to get to meet in person Jacklyn's beautiful new daughter!!
We, of course, took the time to do plenty of portraits of the bride as well! Kami is a college recruiter by day, but she knew that she wanted her wedding to reflect her free spirit. "I'm a bit Bohemian!" she would tell me! I just absolutely loved her lace, vintage-style wedding dress, her long hair braided, and her floral crown.
One of my favorite images from the entire day. The green in Kami's eyes just popped against all of the foliage at Johnson Gardens.
The groomsmen heading over to the ceremony area.
Kami and Luke chose to get married beneath the old tree that stands in the midst of a large open meadow. A large pond lies just to the left of the tree. It was absolutely beautiful.
Kami and Luke wrote their own vows to each other.
Pure joy!!
Storms were in the forecast for that afternoon, and the dark clouds were starting to roll in; so, very quickly, we took pictures of the wedding party and the families, and then Kami, Luke, and I started strolling the estate. I'm not sure I've ever gotten so many images that I LOVED of the bride and groom so fast! We worked so quickly to beat the rain, and yet, I had more images than ever to pick from! It couldn't have been better!
Here are just a few of my faves!!
Oh, Luke! How I love this look on your face!! It's proud and ornery all at the same time!!
We had considered trying to take a few pictures amongst a large log pile you can see in the wayyyyy blurred out background of this image; however, we decided that it was too risky with the lace on Kami's dress; however, as we were walking back to the house, we did find the gem below, and Kami, being the Bohemian bride that she is, was more than willing to stand on top of it and show off her bare feet. Yep! Kami went barefoot at her wedding!
This was our one last image before Kami and Luke got in the car to head to the reception!
Luke and Kami's beautiful wedding cake with lace detail and peonies.
Immediately upon entering the reception, they danced their first dance. And then the dinner and festivities began!!
Luke and Kami, it has been such a blessing getting to know the both of you. You are so genuine, kind, and authentic. I wish so many blessings to the both of you for the years to come!
Thank you...for everything...Kelly
